Benches

Oddest statement in the article. Rangers success under Souness and Walter Smith was a result of David Murray's largesse, external funding if there ever was some. It's how they beat us to the signing of Paul Gascoigne in 1995. I've always found Celtics Irish Republican image tenuous at best. The GAA had a rule that prevented its members from playing or watching British sports like Rugby and Football and if found guilty of either they were subjected to expulsion from the GAA. If memory serves me correct an Irish Prime Minister was kicked out of the GAA for this and Liam Brady for example was expelled from his Catholic school (presumably a GAA institution) for captaining the Irish under 15 football team. Real irish republicans would not be seen dead playing or watching a British sport rather than a Gaelic one, surely? Would'nt it be analagous to the Taleban being baseball fans?

HAHAHAHa true story, when I was at Mourinho's first game in charge, friendly v Celtic in Seattle 2004, there was a bloke there that I saw had a Man U tatt on his calf, right next to it was a Bayern Munich one, a Juve one and a US National team AND a Germany one (on both legs if you catch my drift. ). People like that piss me off, pick one team and f**king stick with it rain or shine, I call these people serial gloryhunters, they have 10 teams all of which are among the best in their league/sport. Its pathetic imo.

True, but look at it this way not everyone can be born within a 1 mile radius of SB or have followed Chelsea for decades. A bloke in Malaysia may not have the same emotional investment in the team as you, but they have still went and bought the shirt putting money into the club so whichever way you cut it they have contributed to the club, they could of put their money into Liverpool or ManU. And as much as you say they couldnt know Andy Myers do you honestly could pick out John Phillips from a police lineup, all these things are very relative.

No I wouldnt be as arrogant enough to think that, its a form of snobbery to say "I'm a real fan you are plastic", the trick is for the newer generation is to realise that success is not an entitlement, Chelsea has been around since 1905 not since 2003 or some time in the 1990s and winning is not the be all and end all of what following chelsea is all about.

think you are talking asbout us beating utd 5-0 in 1999.

terrence aka dennis waterman at the bridge in minder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2er6wxO2nto think colin lee is number 9 and clive walker is number 10.

blue is the colour is the best official club anthem bar none, makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

what were the revelations mate?

yeah it all started when the East Stand was built in mid 70s, it took longer to build and was more expensive than originally estimated due to the strikes so the club got into major debt, then got relegated and could not get out of the 2nd division. The rampant hooliganism at the time really eroded a lot of our support along with having a sh*t team and no money. Even so cfc pulled 55,000 for a local derby v Fulham in late 70s and we always had one of the biggest away supports in the county in 70s and 80s. Despite what out hated rivals like to think our gates from the 80s and early 90s were nothing more than a blip, taking into account our whole history we are the 5th best supported team in average/aggreagte attendance in the history of English football. Anyway all the best for the new season and good luck in your first season of champs league football.

Regarding gate sharing google this paper produced by Manchester University Business School: Top of page 4 it says: Seems a reputable source to me.

Even when gate sharing was around it was never 50%.

Me too. got no real animosity for City.

Might I hasten to add at the time that football was undergoing this revolution/modernisation into big business Chelsea were not sitting on the top table. During the entire 1980's we were in debt and did not own the freehold to the ground which had been sold by our previous owners to property developers in the early 1980s. In 86/87 there was constant media rumours and speculation that we would be evicted and forced to ground share with QPR or Fulham. Any such criticism of Chelsea ruining the game is a bit rich coming from fans of clubs who themselves were the pioneers of turning football from a community concern into big business.

Wrong, league gate receipt sharing was abolished in 1983. At the time the bigger clubs threatened to breakaway from the football league unless their demands were met, their demands were met but still the first division clubs resigned en masse from the football league a decade later in the early 90s thus paving the way for the formation of the premier league. The main flaw of the FA and the Football league during this time was that they didnt legislate against the growing power of the bigger clubs.

Bollox in my view. Since the abolition of the minimum wage early 60s there has been nothing to stop any club in England paying any player what they want/feel he is worth. If that money comes from replica shirt sales, from the gate or from a philanthropic owner what difference does it make? If I had the wedge of Bill Gates I would buy cfc (as Roman has) and plough my personal fortuned into the club as a hobby like Jack Walker did, as the owner that would be my prerogative to do with my money what I see fit. All this "football purism" is nonsense, United, L-pool, Spuds, goons and everton (the so called big 5) were the main forces behind scrapping gate sharing in 1983 (so they could keep their bigger gates) and the formation of the Prem in 1992. Now little old Chelsea and Man City have ruffled their feathers they want to act as if Romans and Sheiks money has runied the game, lol hypocritical muppets. DO ME A FAVOUR, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

sounds like a good idea in principle badly executed in practice, maybe he wanted to improve the players fitness but you go to go about it the right way not just get a non football man to impose himself on them in abusive ways. that team could have contibnued to improve, if we'd kept spackman, pates, nevin and speedie, shame the wheels fell off but there you go.

TBH I was just idly thinking about this earlier today, the affinity and passion I have for Chelsea is 100 fold to whatever commitment or support I have or have ever had for England. There was a time in my life where I thought that I would give my left nut to see England win a trophy and was gutted after Euro 96, Italia 90 penalties etc. but nowdays the more I think of it I see that my loyalty was misplaced, I couldnt give 2 hoots about the w**kers in the 3 Lions. I hope the Chelsea boys do theirselves proud but other than that, couldnt give a monkeys, too many Mancs, Scousers and Flids on the team in the 1st place anyway. What is you take on this issue? Care/dont care?

Pause it at 1:52.................Jukebox, Pat, Crunchie and Steve Clarke. Classis 80's Chelsea = 4 Jocks and a manky away kit, happy days!

FWIW most Hibs fans feel that he was sold back to Falkirk too soon. Highly rated in Leith, considered one of the best ever dribblers over there, FACT. Whats the sciore with Walley bluebeard? I bumped into David Speedie once in Leicester and asked him why he left Chelsea, he said it was down to Walley, didnt they end up having a training ground punch up or something? le Saux said in his autobiography that Hollins was a very weak manager who had trouble keeping control of the dressing room AND in our Centernery history DVD Dixon said he turned in a tranfer request, Bates said "no, there will be changes" and Dixon said there was. reading between the lines I think thats why Hollins got the sack.

Graham rix played for us too, bonus pt if someone can remember the game/circumstances.

Roger Freestone Duncan Shearer David Hopkin Muzzy Izzet Frode Grodas

Good post BB, a lot of good points in there that I see where you are coming from. My point regarding if Roman aint with us is not just from a selling point of view, but God forbid something tragic hapenned to him like what happened to Matt Harding, then what? Human beings are mortal and we always have to have a contingency of what to do in a what if scenario. I think too many of our fans are happy to put all their eggs in the Roman basket. I'm looking more long term and in terms of self sustainability. So really my point is if Roman was to pop his clogs tomorrow, what would happen to Chelsea?

Oh and I see Bates contribution to chelsea has been understated in this thread, when he first arrived we were division 2, sh*theap ground with 10,000 gates. When he left we was top 6, 3 brand spanking new stands built and 40,000 average gates. Just reminding those with short memories like.

To which my rebuttal would be Rome werent built in a day was it? The Romans didnt win all those Champions Leagues and Serie A's by changing the Emperor every 2 years did they? "Et tu brute" (Jose exits stage left).

Everyones entitled to have a moan. Thats the point of messageboards aint it, or do we all have to sit round agreeing with each other? At the end of the day Chelsea means more to me than anything apart from my kids so I will say my piece if its all the same to you?